Only Wael Knows Why
by Darkstormer
Summary: Oneshot: Karos Darcozzi. Wizard, a Watcher, Roadwarden of Caed Nua, and secretly the hero of Dyrwood they will never know about. A year after the events of the Hollowing of the Dyrwood, him and the rest of his subjects, one day, found out they were in the wrong end of one of Wael's mildly amusing acts of keeping Eora interesting everyday. What would a lord of a mighty fortress do?


**Only Wael Knows Why**

the author did this...

Karos Darcozzi stood stoically at the combine gazes of two monarchs. He wasn't a stranger in facing against powerful people. After all, he is a Watcher on top of being a Darcozzi... albeit a strange one at that. However, that is not the point. The fact of the matter is, him, the rest of Caed Nua and the surrounding area just suddenly appeared in a new and strange land intact for no reason. If he was religiously inclined, he would have to say Wael had a hand in this. He internally narrowed his eyes, the god certainly would like the outcome though. The former Darcozzi heir tightened his jaws. The mysterious disappearance of his fortress would likely already caused a stir all across Dyrwood and probably the rest of the Eastern Reach. But, that's all in the past now, he needed to fix this current problem he got himself and the rest of his subjects into.

The young Roadwarden studied the imposing king sitting on his throne. With a towering figure, he was certain the man could crushed him if he would so much as pat him on his head. Although, the king wasn't so much as a problem as the queen. He recognized that look on her eyes. Eyes that spark intelligence and cunning. He probably needed to convinced her to prevent war between his side and theirs.

"So, you're saying laddie that _you're_ the lord of that new castle that just popped out a few week ago?" King Fergus of Dunbroch asked the young man with a tone of disbelief. "How could a castle and its inhabitants just appear out of thin air?"

Karos absently fingered the spine of his grimoire, contemplating whether to answer him truthfully or lie. Both are an unsatisfying as answer to the question. He breathed in and said, "We are in the dark just as you are, your majesty" adding the last part awkwardly. "Wael only knows how and I know for a fact, it would be delighted if someone would try and figure it out to only chase after another mystery altogether." Karos huffed, he like that false-god. He may not be a devotee or a worshiper of the gods, but Wael was just simple. Secrets and the pursuit of it. Being a wizard may or may not have influence his choice and certainly not meeting The Obscured inside the belly of Sun in Shadow.

"Who is Wael?" Queen Elinor asked while stumbling on pronouncing the god's name properly.

"Wael? He/she/it is the god of dreams, secrets, mysteries, and revelations."

"That's-" Elinor tried to find the right word to describe such as god. "certainly a strange god." Karos nodded. "Are you telling me, a _god_ " she smiled condescendingly, "misplaced you're castle?"

"It does sound strange but, then again, I do not know how or the why and that is besides the point. The fact of the matter is, Caed Nua and its people are here in a strange land where days and nights are both short, the sky is a stranger and is missing one moon, and is about to be plunged into a bloody conflict by three of your 'clans' combined military might." He stared impassably at them, "If they do not stop their march in one weeks time, I will be force to protect the sovereign land I was entrusted with as a Thayn of Dyrwood." Fergus looked at him unconvincingly. Wondering how could such a young man who he believes has little experience could stopped his armies from advancing and taking the land that rightfully sits on his domain.

"Your castle sits on Dunbroch lands and as such by right as king, I am taking it back what is stolen by you." His voice boomed and echoed around the expansive throne room.

Karos sighed, shoulder sagging. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, so be it." he said defeated. "If it's war you want. It's war you'll get." He straightened his whole body and look at the king with steel in his eyes, "I tried diplomacy to prevent this conflict from breaking out. However, it seems you want blood spilled on a piece of land." He bought the book in front of him and opened it at the middle. Both monarchs were curious on what he was doing. War was already declared, what more could he do. To their surprise, the pages of the book glowed, like a sun at high noon. His immediate surrounding area began to frost. Snow appeared out of thin air, dusting the room in a thin layer. Suddenly, like an iceberg breaking, a huge spike of ice appeared out of thin air and drove itself into the stone floor.

"Witchcraft!" Fergus hefted his axe that lay against his throne. With all his strength, he threw the axe towards Karos. To the surprise of both Fergus and Elinor and the guards that already had their hands curled around their weapons, the axe spun to the side as it neared its intended target, almost hitting one the guards before it loudly bang on the wall and fell with a resounding clatter.

"Not witchcraft. Carefully calculated spellwork." Karos casually informed them while clapping both covers of his grimoire together, ending the snowfall. But the spike of blue ice remained. "I am what folks call a wizard. Sometimes called 'the navigators of the mortal soul' by kiths. I was taught in the art since I was but a child. If you still wish to continue to pursue the warpath, just be aware. This was just only a small part of my vast arsenal and there are countless other wizards at my employ who won't hesitate to defend their homes. I warn you, these wizards are highly educated men and women who are quite familiar in harnessing their abilities effectively in warfare." He glared at the king and queen, "I suggest you both rethink the course of your actions before we both regret what is to come."

"No, I will wiped out your existence in this very world and I'm starting with you, right now!" He stood up, glaring at the young man. Before he could order his guards to kill him, a hand gripped his elbow. He turned around to look at his lovely wife, concern drawn on her face.

"Fergus. Listen. It may be better if we call for a truce."

"No! He's the same as that witch that turned you into a bear!" Karos lifted an eyebrow at the queen, curious, which Elinor noticed at the edge of her sight. "They cannot be trusted."

"Love, Merida paid her for that potion. Besides, I owe her for letting Merida and I see eye to eye." She turned to look at the young lord, still standing there with a relaxed grace of a cat on a hunt. "Lord Karos of Caed Nua. Would you say, that you will do anything to stop a war between our kingdom and yours." Karos curtly nodded. "In which case, would you be willing to be a part of our kingdom? Another clan that will only answer to the king of Dunbroch as your only liege lord? After all, the lands that you now occupy were ours to begin with." Silence reigned the entire room. Elinor observed the young man intently. It still surprised her how young he is, almost as young as Merida. Maybe give or take a year or two. He wore the mantle of 'Lord' quite easily but does not make it a facade to hide his insecurities, making him a very dangerous opponent indeed. That very same qualities also makes him a very valuable ally to have.

Karos studied the queen, trying to gauge her intent if this is a trap or a genuine offer of peace. Doubt began to creep in at the back of his mind, which he quickly stomped down. This was no time for second guessing especially in the middle of a tense negotiation. If he can call this as such. Only three paths lay before him.

One is where he refuses and the king orders his guards to execute him on the spot. Which in turn, he will be force to protect himself and probably take half of the castle guards down (which he generously calculated based on past experiences) before successfully escaping with a few scrapes and bruises, but without solving the problem he came for in the first place.

The second, is where he still refuses and is allowed to walk out unharmed. However, the invasion will continue and plenty of blood shed on both sides. With the likely outcome of Caed Nua besieged for months. His fortress walls might be more impressive compared to this castle, but walls will only hold out for so long before crumbling. Add to that, the food and water situation. The defenders will starve or die of thirst first before the walls crumble. The most important however is, no one but themselves can break the siege for them. No reinforcement, no allies. Nothing. Not even a former enemy turned ally because they hate their guts more than his.

Karos glanced at the king. His face was more open and it showed shock, but underneath, it dawn to him why his queen gave that offer and the advantages it might entail to his kingdom. 'Might as well go for that last choice.' After a long heavy silence, the Roadwarden finally gave an answer "Alright, then. I'll accept as long as my people are not persecuted and we are dealt with a fair hand."

The Queen nodded, "I'll draw up a treaty, we can look it over later to hammer things out. Fergus?"

"I'll call the lords off." He said slightly deflated.

"By your leave then, your majesties." Karos bowed low before silently walking out of the room, his forest green cape billowing as a trail of guards with still twitchy hands followed in his wake. Behind him, the shimmering blue ice sparkled.

Karos quietly shut the door of the guest room they begrudgingly offered to him, relief that war is averted for the time being. He hated bluffing, preferring to stick with facts and general figures. Though, it did serve this time by saying he had 'countless' wizards when in fact he had only a handful. Less so with experience in an actual war.

Pulling out the wizard card, he reminiscence, might have been a tad too early and may have spelled the annihilation of his people. In fact, he only knew that they have no wizards to begin with. A fact that he was proven wrong about. Apparently this world have wizards albeit not as widespread as Eora. From the tone he gathered from King Fergus, this might reflect the lands' attitude about wizards as a whole. Which is troubling to say the least. If they're that twitchy with wizards, Karos grimaced, he wouldn't want to be anywhere near the King when he discovers the brîshalgwin of Dunryd Row living inside his walls, the few Fampyrs he didn't slay and a thriving vithrack colony hidden under his keep, or the animantic sciences for that matter.

He didn't really want to think about the general reaction of the populous of a spider-like intelligent creature who talks by latching on to your mind. Or the undead walking about eating souls for sustenance. He could see the repeat of the riots that happened on Defiance Bay and he would rather forget about what the mob did to the practitioners of animancy. He really have to thank the queen for her foresight and for having an open mind. 'I guess I owe her one.' "Tsk." The young man flopped down on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. Drained with the confrontation against the monarchs, he momentarily closed his eyes.

"Elinor," Fergus started, "What are you hoping to accomplished by taking that lord under our domain?"

"Do you have to ask?" The queen raised a solitary eyebrow, "You wanted the land back, and the young man doesn't want bloodshed. This way, you, Fergus, have the rightful lands back under your domain. And the young lord doesn't have to worry about a war in the first place." Elinor glanced at the blue ice crystal sitting at the center of the throne room. It glittered like a jewel centerpiece as the afternoon light bounced off it. "And besides, they are as much as victims as us. I'm a bit surprised at Lord Karos's levelheadedness in being thrown into strange but dangerous situation." She contemplated. Looking back, The young man didn't even so much as flinch when her husband threw his good axe at him. Albeit, it did miss him by a respectable margin. Any sane individual even the most hardened veterans of the palace guards would have shown a slight twitch even if they held their instinct to duck. Not even the fierce look of her king budge the young man. "I am beginning to wonder what could a young man, much less a lord, would have to face to not even react at being attacked? Even by a man of your stature."

Fergus scoffed at his wife's question. "Obviously, he was frozen in fear. Even if I missed." He said the last part in a hush. "The clan lords will not be happy about this, having another lord to contend with. They bicker with each other for sport, and now we're adding another one." The king brushed the tip of his beard. Maybe, maybe not.

"Oh, I doubt it will be so bad. It will take time, but I believe they will eventually accept the new clan and its lord."

"We don't even know much about them to begin with, other than, they mysteriously appeared out of thin air and they use magic. _Magic_ Elinor!"

Both the king and the queen were interrupted when the double doors opened, admitting their daughter, the Princess of Dunbroch, Merida. With a bow secured on her back, the bushy red-haired young lady strode with confident steps towards her parents. Those steps, however, faltered when she saw the most unnatural thing she ever saw besides a seeing a human-turned-bear-turned-human, a witch, and a magical treat.

Elinor took amusement out of her daughter's dumb stricken face, "Hello, dear. How's your afternoon?"

It took a while before Merida could pick her jaw off the ground, "Mum, what is that?" she pointed at the blue shimmering piece of unnatural ice in the middle of summer.

Her mother smiled and said, "That, my dear is going to be our new centerpiece, courtesy of the new Clan Lord."

"A new lord?" Merida almost groaned, three lords were more than enough of a headache for her and she didn't want another heir to contend with. "When did this happen?"

"Oh several moments ago, which reminds me." Elinor graceful stood up, "I still need to draw up that treaty." She gave her daughter an inviting look, "care to join me, Merida?"

She shook her head vigorously, her hands pushing out in front of her. "N-no. I mean, no thanks, mum." Elinor just sighed, she really did fear a little for her beloved kingdom. The show of might, is well and good when your options are truly exhausted, but diplomacy is there to keep the peace. And Merida, she doesn't have the patience for it, sadly. The queen widened her eyes ever so slightly, then look at her daughter in contemplation. "What is it, mum?"

"Oh nothing dear, just a thought that came up." The queen walk off, a lady-in-waiting following her wake.

"Da, what was that all about?" Merida asked, still taking a glance of the shrinking figure of her mother.

"I don't know lass, but knowing her. It's something about you." She rolled her blue eyes in response.

"So, Da. What's this business about this new lord." Fergus raised an eyebrow in response. Merida stared at her father. "What?"

"You don't usually ask about this ruling business." Fergus's hopes slightly went up, "Are you finally taking an interest? I'm not getting any younger, Merida."

"What! No! I mean, I was just curious, is all." He studied her for a bit.

"Fine, fine." Fergus relented, "I'll tell you. Remember the news of a new castle popping out of nowhere east of here?"

"The one near the old ruins?" Fergus nodded.

"The lord of that place came here to stopped a war between our side and theirs."

"I didn't see any new horses in the stables or an unfamiliar army at our doorstep. Did he walked here?" Skeptical that a lord would just walk all the way to this place.

"Aye, he walked. He still have mud caked on his boots. Not only did he walked here, he came alone."

"What!" Usually in a parley, a lord can bring in at least two of his most trusted guards. That was just tradition. "What kind of crazy person is he?"

"Your one to talk about crazy, Merida." Fergus chuckled when his daughter's face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly sobered and continued, "He is also a bit more strange, he claims to be a wizard."

"A wizard?" Merida remembered her encounter in the forest, "Brews potions and sells bear sculptures?" Her room still had all the of the witch's carvings she bought wholesale for a magic potion.

"I don't know if he brews potions, but" he pointed at the new centerpiece, which Merida's eyes followed along. "He created that just by opening a book."

"HEY! Come back here you hooligans!" The pair heard a roar followed by the familiar laughter of the three troublemakers. They saw the triplets running, with one of them carrying a very thick book that looked eerily familiar to Fergus. They just disappeared just as fast past the door, and who chased them was none other than the owner of the book, the Lord of Caed Nua.

"What's going on here!" Fergus bellowed out, which stopped the young man on his tracks.

Karos, startled, look to see the king making a bee line for him, followed by a young ranger in a blue dress with a bow slung across her torso. Her bushy hair slightly resembled the man in front of her. "Your majesty," the lord bowed awkwardly while trying to look for clues of the triplets whereabouts, "just following three book-stealing pranksters." After the bow, he stood with a slight hunch on his back as his head went back and forth and eyes darting everywhere. "By any chance, have you seen three identical person blessed by Hylea run around here, carrying with them my stolen grimoire? They got a drop on me while I rested my eyes."

Fergus was slightly taken a back at the change in demeanor of the young man. This wasn't the same person he met earlier, that one was more 'lordly' and 'dangerous' so to speak. Right now, this was just a young man acting just as his age would suggest he should act. He still had that sophisticated sounding speech of his, suggesting he was ingrained with it from the very beginning. "I see you met Harris, Hubert, and Hamish."

"The wee devils" added Merida with a smile.

Karos wrinkled his nose, "The 'wee devils' how apt. Going by the reputation, it isn't just me that has been at the wrong end of their antics?" He nodded absently, taking the amused look of the young woman as confirmation and looked around for the 'wee devils'. "By your leave again, your majesty." He started to turn around.

"Wait!" Fergus grabbed both of his shoulders. "You say, they have your magic book with them?" Karos winced at the heavy pressure he felt from his shoulders and nodded. "Isn't that dangerous, could they be hurt?"

"Unless, you count paper cut being dangerous, then no." Fergus relaxed slightly. "The book itself is harmless. If you're wondering, anybody can handle it. To use the grimoire properly, a wizard has to channel and harness the ambient soul energy through the grimoire. Like a capacitor of a machine." Karos knew from the blank looks on their faces that the explanation went over their heads. "It's like having a bucket and as the handler, you use the bucket to scoop out the water and used that water to fuel your spells."

"Is that how witches do their magic?" Merida gave him a curious look.

"I don't know about _your_ witches but, I know of different ways some use soul energy to invoke their craft. For example, a priest uses the faith of his or her god to cast their spells. Some even channel that very same soul energy that wizards uses through themselves, enabling them to change their forms into all sorts of animals. Others tapped directly into the 'housed' souls and to gather information. Seasoned soldiers instinctively draw power to make them stronger and faster. Some harness it through songs and chants, creating a living breathing theater as they sing the story."

"Singing?"

"Oh yes," Karos smiled. He was more than happy to educate the two of them of things from his world. It also softens them, hopefully, to some of the things he would be required to reveal before signing the treaty. "You would not think it would be so impressive until the lore chanter summons a drake to set things on fire or a pair of ogre to smash them into pieces."

"Lad, are you saying ogres and dragons are real?" The king was skeptical of that claim, but then again, the young man demonstrated he can easily alter the realities of the world around him.

Karos hummed to confirm him, "Ogres are more than twice the size of an average folk. These wilders are loners and live a nomadic lifestyle as staying in one place for too long attracts the attentions of kiths living in the area. They are as intelligent as any other kith races, but their tendency for violence prevents them from doing anything productive in the long run. There are exceptions of course."

"I'm more interested about the dragons" piped Merida. Karos acquiesce and changed the subject.

"Dragons," he started, "can live for hundreds if not thousands of years maybe more. They have three stages once a dragon egg hatches, Wurm, Drake and finally a Dragon. The most threatening out of all the three are the drakes. As they tend do everything they can to carve out a territory for themselves and have the strength and girth to keep that territory."

"Wait." Merida held her hand up, "I thought the dragons would be far more dangerous."

"Aye, laddie. We have stories of how dragons breath fire and terrorize villages. You're telling me, fully-grown ones are less dangerous."

"You have dragons? Here?" Karos asked, surprised.

"No, no one had seen a dragon. They're all just stories around the hearth. I'm afraid." Fergus saw the young man deflate a bit.

"Well, to answer the young miss. Fully-grown dragons already have a territory and had successfully defended it against other competitors. They are more likely to stay inside their territory and are more conservative. They will only ever leave their territory to seek out a mate." Karos held out a finger and warn the two, "Fully-fledged dragons are both rare and are dangerous. They are also quite intelligent, able to speak fluently before they have enough of you and decide that your bones are as good as a toothpick as any as payment for trespassing in their lair unannounced." He said last part while chuckling in good humor.

The princess pointed out. "It sounds like you've met one of these dragons yourselves."

"As you've said, I have." He bowed again before saying, "However, I'm sorry to cut our fascinating discussion short your majesty, miss." He nodded to Merida, "but I have to find those hooligans before they decide to 'misplace' it in one of the countless chimneys in this vast castle of yours. I rather not track soot on your lovely floor." The pair watched him disappear through the door. The father-daughter duo looked at each other.

"Well, Da. He seem very 'articulate' in his words." She glanced at his father, "This talk of dragons and ogres? Do you believe them. He doesn't seem like the type to tell tall tales."

"Dragons..." Fergus brushed his beard in thought. "That might explain some things about his behavior earlier.." He noticed his daughter's inquisitive gaze and gave her an unexpected answer "I threw an axe at him."

"Da!" Merida gaped at her father. It was almost an unheard of event for her jovial, easy-going father to throw any kind of weaponry at visiting dignitaries.

"He started throwing his magic around Merida. What am I supposed to do? And besides, it didn't even faze him one bit. He didn't even gave a moments notice of my missing leg, and that's telling something." He paused, "You know what," an idea suddenly came to him. "After this whole signing the treaty thing, he and I are going to swap stories over a pint or two." Merida just shook her head, from the looks of it., her dad just wanted to tell the demon bear story again. She left her father in contemplation and followed after the new clan lord. No doubt he will need help in tracking her mischievous brothers.

Meanwhile, Karos glanced back and forth on the fork of the hallway, unsure of which way to go. His watcher abilities are like a windmill in the middle of a windless day, useless in this situation and he wasn't a trained tracker to start with. For all the spells inside his vast library of arcane knowledge, he doesn't have anything to help in this situation. 'First time for everything, I suppose.'

"Head to the left." A voice interrupted his thoughts. He look back and saw the same miss from earlier. Karos gave her a quizzical look. "You'll need a bargaining chip in exchange for your book."

"And this bargaining chip of yours would be?"

Merida grinned and uttered a single word "Pastries."


End file.
